New website/ New blog

This blog has moved. I have a new website and new blog here.

Please visit www.noranadjarian.com for the latest news on my writing!

Another Writing Year...

2020, what a strange year you have been! Though you deprived me of much of my freedom, you led me to success in other ways. Here's what happened in autumn/winter: 

My poem Nausicaa was one of twenty shortlisted poems in the Live Canon International Poetry competition 2020 and is part of the anthology of the competition's longlisted poems. Later in the year, I was invited by Live Canon to write a poem inspired by one of the silent women characters in Pindar. My poem Pindar Forgot to Mention, on the character Protogeneia, was beautifully performed by Alice Barclay.

I also have short fiction forthcoming in the wonderful journals Sand and MoonPark Review.

Europa 28, Hay Festival

Thrilled to be one of the 28 women selected to offer their visions for the future at Hay Festival #europa28, live and online 6 - 9 October. 

Participants include the fabulous Leïla Slimani, Nora Ikstena and Kapka Kassabova.  Zadie Smith and Olga Tokarczuk will also make special guest appearances online.

 

Explore the programme at hayfestival.org/europa28 

 #imaginetheworld #stories #essays #womensfiction #hayfestival #rijeka2020

Good Things Have Happened...

...since I last wrote. My tiny micro "Voyage" was a finalist in the annual New Zealand micro competition, I've had flash accepted by the wonderful "Lunate" and "Cabinet of Heed", my story "When We Lost It" was one of the winners in the March/April  Didcot Writers flash competition - and my poem "Cassandra Speaks" was Highly Commended in the Ken Saro-Wiwa Poetry Competition 2020!

From Somewhere in the Mediterranean

The book is out! And my "Shadow Theatre" is in it.

CIRCLE SURFACE SUN From Somewhere in the Mediterranean

Edited by Irena Eden & Stijn Lernout

Schlebrügge.Editor | ISBN 978-3-903172-50-0 |

A few months ago I was commissioned to write a story inspired by the Mediterranean light for the new book Circle Surface Sun.

Vienna-based artists Irena Eden and Stijn Lernout invited 22 authors from all the countries along the Mediterranean basin to write about the light in their region. Whether autobiographical essay, subjective commentary, poetic description, or philosophical reflection—the texts were to articulate one or the other facet of the special light that unites this geographic area.

A photo series by the two artists on the subjects of sea and light condenses the atmospheric connection between the texts and, at the same time, documents the installative and illustrative way the two artists deal with the subject. 

The anthology situates its starting point in Albert Camus’ critical reflection on Europe at his time and its Mediterranean utopia of solidarity and simplicity, in which light and the sun play a major role. In the current economic, environmental, and humanitarian crises, the idea of an inclusive Mediterranean Europe based on cultural diversity seems to have eroded in favor of nationalist interests, economic isolation, and populist ideologies fanning hate and fear. In this climate, the prospect of reiterating Camus’ “solar thought” as an “art of living for catastrophic times” has attained new urgency.

The authors explore their present day, looking out from the Mediterranean shores as the mythological origins of Europe. Circle Surface Sun gathers these voices from different places and myriad perspectives in an attempt to open a transnational, border-crossing dialogue among countries and continents, and to create a space for community and joint thinking.

Countries included:

Albania~Algeria~Bosnia and Herzegovina~Croatia~Cyprus~Egypt~France~Greece~Gibraltar~Israel~Italy~Lebanon~Libya~Malta~Montenegro~Morocco~Palestine~Slovenia~Spain~Syria~Tunisia~Turkey

More information on Schlebrügge.Editor website: https://schlebruegge.com/en/content/circle-surface-sun

National Flash Fiction Day Anthology

More good news today! My story "Endless Possibilities" will be included in the 2020 National Flash Fiction Day anthology.

A note from the editors: It was an incredibly difficult decision; not only was the standard of submissions exceedingly high, but we received nearly twice the number of entries as last year.  Both editors read every piece anonymously, and a good proportion of the submissions many, many times more.

Hummingbird

"The first hummingbird lived in Europe over 30 million years ago. Its colors were bright and bold, magnificent and stirring. When the hummingbird hovered above a flower with that spectacular blur of wings, its heartbeat was unbelievable.

This is a beginning."

Read my story "Hummingbird" on Literary Hub. It's the story with which I represent Cyprus in the Hay Festival Europa28 project and in the anthology Europa28: Writing by Women on the Future of Europe (Comma Press, 2020).

The anthology may be ordered here. 

This book. This beautiful book.

Despite COVID-19, despite all the uncertainty, despite all the suffering, books exist.

Honoured to have been chosen to contribute to this outstanding anthology. My story "Hummingbird" with its miniature heart gives me a reason to smile, and to hope.

"Its miniature heart beats and beats: I exist, I exist. Its tiny body belies this immense performance. The onlooker, if there is one, feels ashamed, unable to fathom the strenuous act. Everything is hovering and waiting." 


Thank you Hay Festival, thank you Comma Press.

"Shipwrecked" - Celebrating the 300th anniversary of Robinson Crusoe

"Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe was first published 300 years ago on 25th April 1719. In honour of the much loved classic, the Museum of Walking organised a flash fiction competition. The eight winning stories were published in this delightful anthology by Sampson Low publishers, London.
I am thrilled to announce that my story "The Return" was one of the winners!

Vereinigung

Honoured that der Tagesspiegel selected my story "Unification" to appear in their 22 July issue. "Vereinigung" by Nora Nadjarian, translated into German by Gregor Dotzauer.

Flash & Poetry

Exciting things happened in June and July! My poetry appeared in Hebrew translation for the first time in Oh! literary magazine, Israel. Special thanks to editors Dory Manor and Sivan Beskin, and translator Meitar Kurman.

Oh! Literary magazine, Tel Aviv

I was invited to take part in the Flash Fiction Festival in Bristol. I was involved in readings, led a successful creative writing workshop on "The Hidden Creative Territories of Photos and Postcards" and was part of the "Flash around the World" panel. Meanwhile, news came that my modern take on Robinson Crusoe was one of the winners of the flash competition celebrating the 300th anniversary of the classic and will be included in Shipwrecked, a limited edition anthology, published by Sampson Low Publishers. I also read at the open mic session of Lines on the Wall – a poetry and performance event in Manchester, where I met T.S.Eliot Prize winning poet Philip Gross, and (finally!) the acclaimed short story writer and poet Tania Hershman.

Flash Fiction Festival 2019

In July, I was invited to take part in Rewriting the Map - a festival dedicated to the literature, art and urban planning in divided cities of Europe - organised by Literarisches Colloquium, Berlin. A fantastic experience!

Rewriting the Map

Shortlisted!

Delighted to be shortlisted in the New Zealand Flash Fiction Day Micro competition with my story "On the Other Hand".
22 stories for 22 days... and my story was shortlisted on Bloomsday.

Art by Suus Agnes, Swimming sperm of algae and moss

HAY FESTIVAL EUROPA28: VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF EUROPE

 

 

Hay Festival announced this week the selection of women writers, artists and scientists taking part in a new global project reimagining the future of Europe. I am thrilled to have been selected! 

I am honoured to be one of these 28 women, one from each European country, representing a multi-disciplinary snapshot of the best minds of our time - including novelist Leïla Slimani, entrepreneur Hilary Cottam, activist Janne Teller and actress Lisa Dwan.  Our short stories and essays will be published in the anthology, Europa28: Visions for the Future, edited by Sophie Hughes and Sarah Cleave (Comma Press, UK).  

More exciting news to follow!  


   

Reading Balkans

April 2019

  

 

 

Writer-in-Residence at Goga residency, Novo mesto, Slovenia.
A beautiful experience.

Writing Against the Grain

 

 

 

"Writing Against the Grain: Contemporary English-language Fiction by Women Around the World"

 

Chapter One The Dilemmas and Struggles of Female Intellectuals and Artists:
Reading Anita Brookner’s Falling Slowly (Britain)

 

Chapter Two On the Exploration of an Authentic Female Self through Transgressive Sexuality and Its Limits: Reading Claire Keegan’s “Antarctica”(Ireland)

 

Chapter Three Making Connections among Unconnectable Fellow Women: Reading Nora Nadjarian’s “Exhibition”(Cyprus)

 

Chapter Four In Defiance of the Confining Law of the Islamic Father: Reading Elif Shafak’s The Bastard of Istanbul (Turkey)

 

Chapter Five Seeking for a Home of One’s Own: Reading Marilynn Robinson’s Housekeeping (United States)

Inselbewohner

Gedanken für den Tag 21.3.2019 zum Nachhören (bis 20.3.2020)      ORF.at

 

 

Inselbewohner

„Was ich am meisten liebe am Schreiben, ist die Freiheit“, hat die armenisch-zyprische Lyrikerin und Autorin Nora Nadjarian einmal in einem Interview gesagt. Denn Schreiben gibt mir die Möglichkeit, Welten zu erschaffen, Plätze und Charaktere ebenso wie die Gespräche, die sie führen, ohne dass ich irgendjemandem irgendetwas davon erklären müsste. Leidenschaft ist der Eckstein der Kreativität.“

 

Inselbewohner

Sie wuchsen auf, vor Augen den salzrieselnden Flug der Möwen
den Horizont und das Chaos der Wellen. Bei Tag haben sie auf Schiffe gewartet.

Jede Nacht, wenn die Welt in Schlaf versank,
sind sie ins Meer gegangen. Gleichsam ein Eintreten in die Vergangenheit.
Zuerst verschwanden ihre Füße, dann die Beine, die Hälse und Lippen.

Sie stellen sich vor, dort irgendwo in der pechschwarzen Finsternis,
würden sie ihren Anfang finden und fänden endlich Trost.

Nora Nadjarian

(Aus dem Englischen von Christa Schuenke)

 „Meine Großeltern waren armenische Flüchtlinge aus Kleinasien, aber meine Eltern sind schon in Zypern aufgewachsen“, erzählt Nora Nadjarian. „Daher bin ich sehr international erzogen worden. Zypern, das ist eine wunderschöne Insel und es ist mein Zuhause, aber die Insel ist immer noch geteilt und wir leben hier unter surrealen Bedingungen.“

 Exil

Wir sind durch die Wüste gegangen und ließen zurück unsre Herzen;
wir sind gezogen durch explodierende Tage und Nächte
und haben betreten das kalte, verwilderte Ufer eines neuen Lebens.

Wir sind durch die Wüste gegangen und machten unsre Erinnerungen blind,
schütteten Hände voll Sand in die Höhlen, sie auszubrennen,
das Loch zu füllen, wo ein Herz drin schlagen sollte.

An diesem kalten, verwilderten Ufer, ein neues Leben.

Wir schlafen nah am Ozean und lauschen
auf Stimmen der Vergangenheit in seinen Wellen.

Wir schlafen nah am Ozean und warten
dass salzige Brandung unsere Wunden spült.

Wir schlafen nah am Ozean und lassen
die Möwen reißen an den Narben, die verheilen.

Wir schlafen nah am Ozean und träumen
Von der Wärme von Schweiß und Blut.

Nora Nadjarian

(Aus dem Englischen von Christa Schuenke)

 

 

 

As the year comes to an end...

As the year comes to an end, I am counting my writing blessings and successes of 2018.

Memorable highlights of the year: having my flash "My Idea of Paradise", one of the 12 winning entries of National Flash-Fiction Day's Flash Walk competition, read by an actor on Bristol Flash Walk 2018, being included in the anthology "The Stony Thursday Book" (edited by Nessa O' Mahony), having my short Pedro Almodovar inspired play "Catalina" performed at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London, being invited to present my flash fiction in Cheltenham, England, and accepting an invitation to take part in an exciting European literary project... More details soon!

Participation in "Sardam: Alternative Literary Festival"

A performance of my work "Tempus Fugit" in October 2016. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Ore.

International Women's Day 2016

Thank you, English School, for this tremendous honour.

All Dutch to me...

I will soon be having a new poem translated into Dutch.
The theme? Europe and refugees.

All will be revealed in May.